Harley Merlin 4: Harley Merlin and the First Ritual

by Forrest, Bella

  I stared at my mom in wonder. No matter what happened to her, she maintained a positive outlook on life. Even in her darkest moments of doubt, which she’d never admitted to me before, it seemed as though she’d always found a way to laugh and make everything better. I would never be able to fathom her endless grace. I just hoped that, one day, I’d have an iota of her patience and dignity. Even now, she refused to lay blame at anyone’s door, or muddy anyone’s name.

  “He said he spoke to you last week about the tools for Harley’s surgery,” I said.

  “Like I said, I can’t get rid of the bastard.” She flashed me a wink, her rich laughter filling Cabot’s Esprit Emporium. The store was fairly empty for a weekday afternoon, for which I was glad. I liked to have my mom to myself whenever I could.

  Cabot was her surname, while I’d chosen to take on my grandmother’s surname of Hepler after arriving at the coven, to keep up the pretense of me being totally extraneous to my father. My mom had suggested it, as a nod of respect to my deceased grandparent, and I’d liked the idea. Thus, I’d become Astrid Hepler—an entity all my own.

  “Did you know they were in love as soon as they met?” I asked quietly. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I’m just curious about it all. It’s still hard for me to wrap my head around, even after you’ve said all of that.”

  She leaned against the table where we were sitting, propping her chin on her hand. “You know what… to be honest, and this may be a little too much information for your young ears, I always thought that he and Imogene Whitehall were going to get together. I called him out on it one year, after catching them smooching at the coven’s Christmas party. We’d broken up recently, but we were on friendly terms, and he was so flustered about it, like I’d walked in on him with his hand in the cookie jar. I was convinced they were seeing each other for ages, but he’d never admit it to me. I never caught them in any more compromising positions, and he didn’t mention her much, but that always stuck with me. The day he told me about Isabel, I was completely certain that he was going to tell me he was in a relationship with Imogene.”

  I gasped in shock. “The Imogene Whitehall?”

  “You sound surprised?”

  “I just… I didn’t think any man would be good enough to tempt her, especially not him.”

  She paused, a ghost of a smile on her lips. “Well, turns out he wasn’t. At least, I don’t think they ever had a thing after that kiss. It didn’t stop my suspicions though, considering I didn’t even know who Isabel was when that happened. He hadn’t said a word about Isabel. It was only when I saw them together, when they came to pick you up one Saturday morning, that I realized he was completely in love with her. That was when I decided to let go of any past feelings, and let bygones be bygones. I couldn’t have given him a love like that, and life is worth nothing if you don’t have true love in it. Fortunately, my angel, you’re my true love—the only one I’ll ever need. Men can suck it, quite frankly. I’m happier without one.” She giggled, taking a sip of her cup of coffee.

  I couldn’t process this. “Still, though… Alton and Imogene? Are you sure we’re talking about the same woman?”

  “Willowy thing, great style, blond hair, looks like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth?”

  “Imogene?”

  “You really find that hard to believe, huh?”

  “She always seems so nice! I couldn’t imagine her doing anything like that. She’s like innocence incarnate.”

  My mom shrugged with a laugh. “You can be nice and kiss guys, Astrid.”

  “You know what I mean. Drunken smooching at a Christmas party just doesn’t seem like her style.”

  “It’s always the quiet ones you’ve got to watch out for, especially beautiful ones like her. I’ll be honest; I would’ve kissed her, too, at that Christmas party, with a few more Proseccos in me. She’s not the sort of woman one could easily turn down.”

  “Mom!” I squeaked.

  She laughed, clutching her stomach. “I’m just teasing. I was upset about that whole thing, back then, since we’d just broken up. In fact, I think that’s the only time that Alton was glad I wasn’t magical; otherwise, I’d have roasted his ass. Prime beef steak for dinner,” she managed in between guffaws. “I’d have probably turned Imogene into a toad or something, for good measure. Anything to wreck that fine porcelain figure of hers. Not that I’m still bitter.”

  “I’ll never get rid of that mental image of Dad’s… ass. Ew,” I lamented.

  “Good. You let it serve you well, if this Garrett ever does anything like that to you,” she replied, with a grin. “Mind you, you’ll have a hard time stopping me from roasting his ass myself, magic or no magic, if I find out that he’s hurt you.”

  I smiled. “Alton really hates him.”

  “Your dad is protective, that’s all. It’s his job to dislike your boyfriends. He wouldn’t be a dad if he didn’t. He drew the bad-cop straw when we split up, and I drew good cop.”

  “Do you think he’s right, though? Do you think Garrett is bad news?”

  “I take your question and raise you this—why does he dislike him?”

  I shrugged. “Alton doesn’t know him the way I do, but he’s convinced that Garrett is going to end up hurting me. I don’t know why, since Garrett hasn’t done anything to suggest something like that. He was friends with Finch, yes, but he didn’t know who Finch really was.” I sat back and sighed. “The thing is, I know why he’s worried about my safety, after everything that’s happened with me, but I really wish he’d ease up on the Garrett aspect of things. Otherwise, we’re going to keep arguing about it.”

  “Listen to me carefully, Astrid,” my mom replied. “In matters of the heart, you have to trust your own judgment. Only you know how you feel, and only you know what Garrett is like with you. All I’d say is, make sure he’s in it for the right reasons. Make sure he adores you the way you deserve and is respectful of you as your own person. If you start to doubt him, in any way, you need to listen to your gut instinct. It will never set you wrong. That little voice knows us better than we know ourselves. For a long time, I didn’t listen to mine, and it ended with a lot of broken hearts.”

  I nodded slowly. “I trust him, Mom.”

  “Then trust him. And remember—roasted ass.”

  I smiled, though my mom’s revelations had left me feeling a bit sad. She had been through so much and hadn’t found her Prince Charming at the end of it. Then again, maybe that was admirable in and of itself. Life wasn’t a fairytale. Life was tough and turbulent, and if you could come out of it all with a smile on your face and your heart beating as fierce as ever, then maybe that was the ultimate triumph over adversity. She certainly shone brighter than any woman I’d ever met.

  “Actually, there was another reason I wanted to come and see you today,” I said, remembering the fang in my pocket. “It’s to do with Adley’s death, and Quetzi’s involvement in it. Harley found this at the crime scene and wanted me to see what I could find out about it that could prove or disprove that Quetzi is responsible. I figured you’d know better than anyone if this kind of thing is normal for such an ancient serpent and other similar monsters.” I handed her the fang, giving her a moment to look it over.

  Her brow furrowed. “This was found at the crime scene, you say? You’re sure?”

  I nodded.

  “Do you know if there were any bite marks or bruising on Adley’s body?”

  “Krieger didn’t report anything like that. He found venom in her veins, which he concluded to be the cause of her death, but no bite marks or bruises. Alton sent the report to me earlier.”

  My mom stared at me, an odd expression in her eyes. “Then Quetzi didn’t do this.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Feathered serpents are venomous, yes, but the bite would be considerable. We’re not talking tiddly little punctures here. Secondly, the fangs of beasts like him don’t just fall out—they’re not like shark teeth
. Feathered serpents only get one set, to see them through the rest of their life. They’re constrictors, ordinarily, if they don’t possess any magical abilities. However, this Quetzi does have magical abilities, right?”

  I nodded. “Right.”

  “And see this, here?” She pointed to a thin line of pinkish, organic matter that lined the edge of the tooth. “This isn’t from a serpent’s gum. If I were a betting woman, I’d say this fang was pried out of a different, though similar, creature, to make it look like Quetzi was responsible. If there was no bruising on Adley’s body, from constriction, and Krieger is saying the venom killed her, then you may want to look for an injection puncture instead. Someone has done this to make it seem like a snake did it—I’d stake my life on it. Plus, Quetzi would probably have eaten Adley if it had been him, instead of leaving a body behind. Just give me a moment—I have something that may work.” She took the fang and disappeared into the back room, bringing a small device back with her. She put the tooth in the center and pressed a button. Gold light swirled for a moment, before a red glow settled on the large orb-like object, and a spray of symbols shot upward.

  “What is that?”

  “It senses Chaos in objects.”

  “What does the red mean?”

  My mom smiled. “It’s made of resin. It’s not a real tooth. It probably came off a necklace or something, like the ones you see surfers wear. A good copy, but it’s fake.”

  I shook my head in disbelief. I’d had a feeling that Quetzi wasn’t the one who’d killed Adley, but to hear it out loud surprised me. “Why would someone have set him up in such an elaborate way?”

  “They might have wanted to cover up what they did, and pin the blame on the escaped serpent,” she replied. “You mentioned there was a spy at large in the coven, yes?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, maybe they did this to stop the bigwigs getting called in. If everyone jumped to the conclusion that it was Quetzi, then there wouldn’t need to be a bigger investigation. This spy, whoever they were, probably didn’t want to draw too much attention to the murder of Adley. A better question would be why they wanted her dead.”

  I frowned. “Any ideas?”

  “If they’re working for Katherine, it might have been done on her order.”

  “You think they had a part in Quetzi’s escape, too?”

  “It’s not implausible. He’s a powerful creature, and very useful. Perhaps they stole Quetzi first, so they could cover the murder second,” my mom said, tapping the corner of her mouth in thought.

  “Well, if that’s the case, they’ll be long gone by now.”

  “Not necessarily. With so much heightened security about the place, it’s unlikely they’ll try to smuggle him out in broad daylight. My guess would be that they’re waiting for the perfect moment to flee, so they can spirit him away without anyone seeing. Is there any event coming up, where the majority of the coven will be in one place?”

  I racked my brains before settling on one such glaring opportunity. “Alton’s monthly debrief, where he informs us of our points and our goals for the next month. It’s happening next Sunday morning.”

  “That’s probably when your spy will try and take Quetzi out of the coven. Until then, I’d imagine they’re hiding the serpent, doing everything they can to keep a low profile until next week. I wouldn’t be surprised if nothing bad happens in that time, as they’re keeping themselves on the down-low. One false step, and they’ll risk blowing the whole thing wide open.”

  “Thank you so much.” I kissed my mom on the cheek, before leaping down from the chair. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

  “I look forward to it. And, hey, don’t give your dad too much of a hard time. He loves you more than anything in this world, you know. We might not have worked out, but you were the one glorious thing that shines through to this day. Neither one of us would know what to do if anything happened to you. And if he keeps hassling you about Garrett, just know that it comes from a place of love—he’s scared of losing you, and he doesn’t know how to show it properly. He never has.”

  I knew what she meant. Alton found it hard to show affection, though he’d displayed his love when he’d brought me back from the dead three times. Mom just didn’t know about that, which was probably for the best. Definitely no need for an ass-roasting.

  “I’ll try not to. I love you, Mom.”

  “And I love you, angel. More than the universe and all its stars combined.”

  I hurried out of the shop and headed back to the coven in double-quick time. If my mom was right, then the Shapeshifter had Quetzi. Now, I just needed to find both of them. A daunting task, considering we’d spent weeks trying to discover the spy, and had yet to be successful. However, right now, I felt more determined than ever. With my mom’s strength and wisdom guiding me, I would do the impossible.

  Seventeen

  Astrid

  I burst through the coven entrance and hurtled down the hallway toward the interrogation room that the Rag Team were using to interview Kenneth Willow. On the way, I almost collided with Harley. She had just come out of one of the reading rooms to the right. With lightning-quick reflexes, she grabbed my shoulders to stop me from tumbling over.

  “Thank you,” I panted.

  “Is everything okay?”

  I nodded, returning to a standing position. “I’ve just been to speak with… uh, someone who can detect Chaos in objects. She took a look at the fang you gave me. Quetzi isn’t responsible for Adley’s death. It was an elaborate ploy to throw us off the real culprit’s scent.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “What do you mean? I saw the skin with my own eyes.”

  “No, that was part of it, too. Dr. Krieger said that Adley died from venom poisoning, right?”

  “Yeah, he ended up finding two small puncture wounds in her side; they were just well hidden. I got the call literally ten minutes before you burst in here.”

  “Well, serpents like Quetzi have a huge bite, and they don’t shed their fangs. If they lose a fang, it’s permanent. They can’t grow another. Anyway, my expert checked the fang and told me it was a fake—it’s made of resin. Quetzi didn’t do this, and I’d bet those puncture wounds were made by ordinary needles instead of fangs. The venom might have been injected by the real murderer, with the tooth and the skin being planted to make it look like Quetzi. “

  “What?”

  “What I’m saying is, it couldn’t have been Quetzi. He’s been set up by someone, and my guess is that our spy is the culprit. Whoever they are, they’re still in the coven, and they’re hiding Quetzi. In order to escape the coven without detection, they need to leave when everyone is otherwise distracted. Next Sunday is Alton’s monthly debrief—the perfect time to make a break for freedom, with our reptilian friend in tow.”

  “Why would someone steal Quetzi, though?” Harley narrowed her eyes, the cogs visibly whirring in her mind.

  “Maybe somebody asked them to snatch him. He is hugely powerful, after all. And who do we know to have a thirst for all things powerful?”

  Her expression turned cold. “Katherine. This has her written all over it.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “We should tell Alton,” Harley said.

  I nodded. “Good idea. Is he still watching the interrogation?”

  “He should be. I still don’t understand why he wouldn’t let me take the lead on it.”

  “You gave us all a bit of a fright yesterday. He likely thinks you’re too close to the case and may lash out if provoked.”

  “See, why couldn’t he have just said that, instead of feeding me some bullcrap about O’Halloran being the muscle, and Wade and Santana being better negotiators?”

  I smiled. “He doesn’t really like confrontation.”

  “Yeah, I’m starting to see that.”

  We headed for the rooms that had been cordoned off for interrogation purposes. Several guards were on duty in the hallway preceding the interview
room, their faces set in stern expressions. They reminded me of the fabled Queen’s Guard at Buckingham Palace in London, who were required to remain stony-faced through any and all situations. It made me want to tickle them, or jump in front of them, in a vain effort to get them to laugh. They were used to us by now, knowing we were safe to let pass.

  Harley knocked on the door and went in first. A two-way mirror lined the far wall, and Alton sat in front of it, his leg jiggling in agitation as he watched the proceedings unfold. Kenneth didn’t appear to be cooperating, his arms folded across his chest, his eyes set in reptilian slits of pure rage. O’Halloran prowled around the small room with his eyes fixed on Kenneth, clearly trying to wig him out and get him to break. I jumped as he slammed his hands down on the desk, but Kenneth barely flinched. I had been gone for several hours, which meant the situation must have been dire. Katherine certainly trains her minions well, especially in the art of silence.

  “Alton, we need to talk to you,” Harley announced.

  He glanced up at her. “Can it wait? I’m a bit busy at present.”

  “No, it can’t wait. Astrid, tell him what you’ve found out.”

  I cleared my throat and relayed all of the information I’d gathered from my mother. “This expert friend of mine, Henrietta, is rarely wrong when it comes to matters of intuition, and I have reason to believe she’s right. That device of hers doesn’t lie, and it all makes sense. If we find the spy, then we’ll find Quetzi,” I concluded, knowing he’d understand exactly why I’d spoken to her. He might not have been a good partner to my mom, but he valued her as a specialist in her field.

  He sat up straighter. “Good job, Astrid. Very good job.”

  “Thanks,” I said, dropping my gaze.

  “What are we going to do about this?” Harley asked, ever the pragmatist.